Pride and Prejudice at South by Southwest

Music fans are a mercurial, protective bunch. It's not enough to have seen the band — they'll remind you that they saw the band play at a house party in East Austin with their original drummer, before they released that EP that was only available in Tokyo. Back when they were really good.

Yes, fandom can be exhausting. Though you do find yourself in situations here that are extraordinary. Emmylou Harris played a short, intimate set with Rodney Crowell on the sprawling lawn at the very civilized Hotel Saint Cecilia. Her voice is so beautiful — vulnerable, knowing, resilient — that you felt a bittersweet thrill to be near her. Iron & Wine also played some low-key songs, as if he was in his own backyard. It was an easygoing pleasure. Sam Beam's voice sounds more nuanced live, with more emotional variations. "It feels like 2004 around here," he joked between songs. 2004 was sounding better than we remembered.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

If there's a certain insider fetishism to music fans, barbecue devotees are just as intense. It's an issue that raises emotions, and, just like bands, people want you to know that they went to the obscure trailer first, when it was only open for one hour on Tuesday mornings. But we're not here to judge, just to spread some love for Micklethwait Craft Meats, a new trailer sitting in a little park (more like a dried grass patch with a few tables) on Austin's East 11th Street. It's away from the madness and run by kind people who know what they're doing. We're partial to the pork shoulder, but you can't really go wrong, so add it to your circuit of dining essentials. Just remember we told you about it first — sorry, old habits die hard.

David Coggins will be filing dispatches from Austin throughout (and a little after) SXSW. Follow him on Twitter.